Extending Your Study Abroad Term

Northwestern encourages students to study abroad for the full year, and if you would like to extend your stay, you may be able to do so. If you are approved to extend your stay after completing the steps below, the Study Abroad Office will email you an updated acceptance letter.

1.  Contact your program directly to find out if it's possible to extend your stay.

2.  E-mail your Study Abroad Adviser explaining why you would like to extend your term abroad. If you do not know who your Study Abroad Adviser is, email studyabroad@northwestern.edu.

3.  If you receive Financial Aid through Northwestern, contact the Assistant Director of Study Abroad Financial Services, Mike Frechette (m-frechette@northwestern.edu), to discuss how extending your term abroad might affect your aid package.

4.  If you have a major/minor in WCAS, McCormick, and/or Communication contact your major/minor adviser and tell him/her:

  • That you would like to extend your term of study abroad;
  • What courses you are taking and what you plan to take next term;
  • That they will need to confirm that this will work for you academically;
  • That if they approve, they need to email your Study Abroad Adviser stating this approval.

5.  Contact your School Representative and tell him/her:

  • That you would like to extend your term of study abroad;
  • What courses you are taking and what you plan to take next term;
  • That they will need to confirm that this will work for you academically;
  • That if they approve, they need to email your Study Abroad Adviser stating this approval.

6.  Have your parent or guardian e-mail your Study Abroad Adviser stating their approval of your extension and their understanding that you will be charged the appropriate Study Abroad Administrative Fee for the extended term.

7.  Complete the University Residence Requirement (URR) Form. By completing this form you will determine if you need your degree auditor to review your graduation requirements again.

  • If you answered “no” to all of the questions, you do not need verification of the URR from your degree auditor. Simply email the completed form to your Study Abroad Adviser.
  • If you answered "yes" to any of the questions you do need verification of the URR from your degree auditor. You will need to forward the form to her and explain that you are trying to extend your study abroad term, and that you need to have your URR reviewed again. Ask her to review your requirements, sign and forward the form to your Study Abroad Adviser.
    • If your last name begins with A-L your degree auditor is: Jane Baugher
    • If your last name begins with M-Z your degree auditor is: Isabel Vega-Gomez
8.  If you are approved to extend your study abroad term, you will need to contact HTH Worldwide Insurance to change your policy so that you are covered until the end of your program. If you are on a program through Arcadia, The Alliance, IES Abroad or Middlebury they will take care of this for you.

Good luck and let us know if you have any questions!